On Hallowed Ground: The Beaufort National Cemetery

Photo byEric R. Smith

The Beaufort National Cemetery is a beautiful and historically important site located along Boundary Street and is a must-see when visiting Beaufort’s historic sites. With Spanish moss-draped live oaks looking down on the lines of white headstones, the cemetery holds a lot of historic significance. It’s also an important stop for history and Civil War enthusiasts touring our part of the South.

Bordered by an iconic red brick wall that was constructed in 1876, the cemetery features an original entrance guarded by large limestone piers that were added in 1940. The restaurant across the street from the cemetery was even named after the wall.

Beaufort National Cemetery is one of six national cemeteries that were established for the reinterment of Union soldiers and sailors who died in the region during the Civil War. It was designated by President Abraham Lincoln on February 10th, 1863.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the cemetery’s plan is unique among other national cemeteries of the Civil War-era because of its landscape, which was laid out in the shape of a half wheel with roads forming spokes from the “hub” at the entrance.

After its completion, the original interments in the cemetery were men who died in nearby Union hospitals during the occupation of the area early in the Civil War, mainly in 1861, following the Battle of Port Royal.

The government also later moved the remains of Union soldiers who had fought and died all across the South to Beaufort. In addition to the Union soldiers, the cemetery is also the resting place of 100 Confederate soldiers who also died during the Civil War and a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy, who died in World War II.

The relocation continued for years after the war ended, with nearly 3,000 remains of Union prisoners of war moved to the site from a Georgia cemetery through 1968.

In 1987, the remains of 19 soldiers from the all African-American Massachusetts 54th Infantry were found on Folly Island near Charleston and were transferred to the Beaufort National Cemetery with full military honors. Cast members of the film Glory, which had recently been released in theaters, were present for the Memorial Day 1989 ceremony acting as the Honor Guard. The ceremony was attended by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and descendants of those that served in the Massachusetts 54th Infantry.

Today, more than 26,000 lie at rest in the cemetery; veterans from every single major U.S. conflict in history.

Four monuments are located within the cemetery’s grounds.

A granite obelisk standing 20 feet high honors those who died for the Union. Eliza McGuffin Potter, a woman who cared for soldiers in Beaufort’s military hospitals during the war, erected the monument in 1870.

Potter was also the force behind the construction of another of the cemetery’s monuments, an 1870 marble and brick box tomb inscribed with the names of 175 soldiers from 18 states.

Also, a memorial to Confederate soldiers was placed in the Confederate section and dedcated in 1997.

The fourth monument, two granite blocks affixed with bronze plaques, recognizes the aforementioned all African-American Massachusetts 54th Infantry.

The Beaufort National Cemetery is a remarkable, peaceful and beautiful spot in Beaufort. It's the site of several ceremonies throughout each year and civic ceremonies take place there each Memorial Day and Veterans Day holidays. Each year at Christmas time, it is covered in donated remembrance wreaths by donations made to Wreaths Across America.

Managed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the 33 acre final resting place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Visit the Beaufort National Cemetery at 1601 Boundary Street in Beaufort SC.